As a consequence, popular German blog VZlog.de has said it will go offline on New Year’s Eve. VZlog.de states it doesn’t have the resources to check all of its content and comments, nor does it have the technical resources to slap an 18 certificate on it, make certain its readers are 18 and above using Postident, or simply put the site online at midnight and take it offline again in the early hours.
The blog, which covers popular German social notworking sites meinvz, studivz and schülervz and hailed by media pedagogues and officials, is mainly read by youngsters. Seventy percent of its readers are are under 18, its authors are ages 14 to 19, it is ad financed and will now be going offline.
It seems politicians don’t believe kids and teenagers in Germany have the level of competency to use the internet properly and so must be protected from it, despite clearly demonstrating the contrary.
It seems the only people set to profit are lawyers, who are going to have a field day next year. Lawyers are expected to start sending out cease and desist letters to websites, telling them they’re breaking the law and have to pay a couple of thousand euros.
(via Web age certificates law forces German blogs offline – The world’s dumbest internet law? | TechEye)
The Committee to Nuke Elysium 